A tool for sealing a container, such as a cup, bottle, jar or the like

ABSTRACT

In a tool for sealing containers, such as cups, bottles, jars and the like there is provided a cooling surface applicable to a plastic cap on the cup or the like and an annular nozzle to blow hot air around the periphery of the cooling surface. This cooling surface is provided on a slide displaceable in the body of the tool for controlling the passage through the nozzle such that this nozzle is exposed when the slide is moved into the body by pressure against the cooling surface.

[ Nov. 26, 1974 United States Patent [1 1 Gransus et al.

Spangler......................l........ 53/329 Sternau............ 53/329 X 969 Carter et A TOOL FOR SEALING A CONTAINER,

SUCH AS A CUP, BOTTLE, JAR OR THE LIKE [75] Inventors: Folke Evert Gransus, Vintrie;

965 Morera......,..... 963 Amberg.........,.....,............

3 3 Ingvar Helmer Borgstrom, Malmo, both of Sweden Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee Assignee: Aktiebolaget Platmanufaktur, Assistant Examiner-Horace M. Culver ABSTRACT Malmo, Sweden 22 Filed: Feb. 22, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 334,809

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 24, 1972 Sweden..............................,

In a tool for sealing containers, such as cups, bottles, jars and the like there is provided a cooling surface applicable to a plastic cap on the cup or the like and an annular nozzle to blow hot air around the periphery of the cooling surface. This cooling surface is provided on a slide displaceable in the body of the tool for con- 90 3 u w w fi onl .672 u 3; sh m 7 E 7 ,3 9 "b2 53 m y M Wmh mm mwe s l. hf C d Std UhF 1]] 2 8 555 [ii trolling the passage through the nozzle such that this nozzle is exposed when the slide is moved into the [56] References Cited body by pressure against the cooling surface.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 2,930,170 3/1960 Holsman et 53/373 X OOPOOOOOOOO PATENP SHEET 30F 3 A TOOL FOR SEALING A CONTAINER, SUCH AS A CUP, BOTTLE, JAR OR THE LIKE The present invention relates to a tool for sealing a container, such as a cup, bottle, jar or the like.

For completely mechanized automatic sealing of an orifice opening of cups or the like as they are delivered from a modern filling machine in which a marginal portion of a cap of plastic material is brought, by shrinking, into contact with the side wall of the cup or the like beneath the orifice opening, it is required that the tool for shrinking the cap onto the cup or the like can operate rapidly and in timed relationship with the filling machine.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a tool for sealing a container, such as a cup, bottle, jar or the like, comprising a body;

an air inlet provided by said body;

an air outlet provided by said body to the outside thereof;

an annular air nozzle provided on said body;

means forming a passage between said air inlet on the one hand and said air outlet and said air nozzle on the other hand;

heating means in said passage;

a slide displaceable in the body between outer and inner positions for controlling the air outlet and the air nozzle, said air outlet and said air nozzle being closed and open, respectively, when the slide is in said outer position, and open and closed, respectively, when the slide is in said inner position;

a cooling surface supported by the slide; and

means for circulating a coolant in contact with the cooling surface, hot air being discharged around the periphery of the cooling surface when this is applied onto a cap on a container and the slide is moved to the inner position by being pressed against the cap.

The invention will be described in more detail in the following specification with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the tool according to the invention in an inoperative position;

FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 of the tool in an operative position; and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatical view illustrating the use of the tool according to the invention.

The tool comprises a body supported on a shaft 11 for moving up and down so that the tool can be applied to a cap on a cup or the like for shrinking the cap onto the cup as will be described later. In the body there is provided an axially displaceable cylindrical slide 12 which is guided in a cylindrical bore 13 in the body. The slide is provided with a circular planar plate 14 defining together with the rest of the slide a cooling chamber 15. The cooling chamber communicates with a passage 16 in the slide having a connecting piece 17 and with a passage 18 in the slide having a connecting piece 19, and through said chamber a coolant such as water may be circulated via said passages when the connecting pieces are connected as inlet and outlet, respectively, to an external circulation circuit for the coolant.

Supported in body 10 is a cylindrical plunger 20 connected with the body and having a cylindrical core 21 of electrically insulating material forming a number of through axial bores 22. The plunger extends into the slide which is movable in relation to the plunger. The bores communicate at the upper end of the plunger with a plenum chamber 23 in the body, which is provided with a connecting piece 24 for connecting an air supply conduit, and at its lower end with a distribution chamber 25 defined in the plunger and communicating with an annular passage 27 in the body through a number of radial bores 26. The annular passage in turn communicates with a peripheral passage 28 in the body, said passage forming an annular slot 29 in the surface of the bore 13. Through an annular passage 30 the annular passage 27 also communicates with an annular opening 31 in the surface of bore 13, said opening like slot 29 being controlled by means of the slide 12. When the slide occupies a lower end position, as shown in FIG. 1, and which may be determined by abutments (not shown) between the slide and] the body, the annular slot 29 is closedand the annular opening 31 is exposed, whereas said opening is closed and said annular slot is exposed when the slide by overcoming the weight thereof is moved back into the position shown in FIG. 2. In bores 22 there are provided electric heating ele ments 32 which are permanently connected to an electrical power source, not shown. Obviously, therefore, the air supplied to chamber 23 through connecting piece 24 will pass through bores 22 while being heated by means of the heating elements and will then be discharged through chamber 25, bores 26 and annular passage 27 and then in response to the position of slide 12 become discharged either through the annular opening 31, FIG. 1, or through the slot 29, FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 3 there are dispensed cups 33 one at a time and placed on a conveyor 34 which is intermittently driven in the direction of the arrow 35. This is done in such a way that the cups arranged in a row on the conveyor are moved one by one through a number of stations distributed along the conveyor, the spacing of which corresponds to the motion step of the conveyor during the intermittent movement thereof. In a filling station 36 the cup is filled with a liquid or other material to be packaged therein, whereupon the cup is moved past the lower end of a cap dispenser 37 by means of which a cap 38 is dispensed and dropped over the cup when the cup is moving past the dispenser below the lower end thereof. Cup 33 provided with a cap 38 loosely resting thereon then is moved to a first shrinking station where the marginal or jacket portion of the cap is shrunk onto the cup by means of the tool according to the invention which is diagrammatically indicated at 39 in FIG. 3. When the tool is raised slide 12 is in its lower position according to FIG. 1. Hot air then will leave the tool through opening 31. When the tool is lowered in order to be applied with the plate 14 to the upper surface of the cap on a cup, as shown in FIG. 3, the slide is moved back so that the slot 29 will be exposed. The hot air is sprayed towards the edge of the cap for shrinking the marginal portion as illustrated in FIG. 3, while the plane portion of the cap is kept cool by means of plate 14 cooled by the circulating coolant. Thus, hot air will always be available as soonas the tool is applied to a cap, which means that the tool can operate very rapidly at the same time as'heating elements 32 which are continuously energized all the time are surrounded by air to avoid burning the elements.

Finally, the cup is carried to a second shrinking station 40 where the plane top side of the cap is shrunk.

We claim:

l. A tool for sealing a container, such as a cup, bottle,

jar or the like, comprising a body;

an air inlet provided by said body;

an air outlet provided by said body to the outside thereof;

an annular air nozzle provided on said body;

means forming a passage between said air inlet on the one hand and said air outlet and said air nozzle on the other hand;

heating means in said passage;

a slide displaceable in the body between outer and inner positions for controlling the air outlet and the air nozzle, said air outlet and said air nozzle being closed and open, respectively, when the slide is in said inner position and open and closed, respectively, when the slide is in said outer position;

a cooling surface supported by the slide; and

means for circulating a coolant in contact with the cooling surface, hot air being discharged around the periphery of the cooling surface when this is applied onto a cap on a container and the slide is moved to the inner position by being pressed against the cap.

2. A tool as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plunger forming part of the body, which is slidingly received in the slide, said passage being formed by said plunger. 1

3. A tool as claimed in claim 2, wherein said plunger provides a distribution chamber for air heated in said passage by the heating means provided therein, and said body provides an annular chamber surrounding the plunger and the slide and communicating on one hand with the distribution chamber and on the other hand with the air nozzle and the air outlet.

Qatent No.- l8h9.971 Dated November 26. 197).:

Inventor-(s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Colunm 1, line 30, change "outer" to -inne rline 31, change "inner" to -outer.

Signed and sealed this 21st day of January 1975.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY GIBSON JR. c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A tool for sealing a container, such as a cup, bottle, jar or the like, comprising a body; an air inlet provided by said body; an air outlet provided by said body to the outside thereof; an annular air nozzle provided on said body; means forming a passage between said air inlet on the one hand and said air outlet and said air nozzle on the other hand; heating means in said passage; a slide displaceable in the body between outer and inner positions for controlling the air outlet and the air nozzle, said air outlet and said air nozzle being closed and open, respectively, when the slide is in said inner position and open and closed, respectively, when the slide is in said outer position; a cooling surface supported by the slide; and means for circulating a coolant in contact with the cooling surface, hot air being discharged around the periphery of the cooling surface when this is applied onto a cap on a container and the slide is moved to the inner position by being pressed against the cap.
 2. A tool as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plunger forming part of the body, which is slidingly received in the slide, said passage being formed by said plunger.
 3. A tool as claimed in claim 2, wherein said plunger provides a distribution chamber for air heated in said passage by the heating means provided therein, and said body provides an annular chamber surrounding the plunger and the slide and communicating on one hand with the distribution chamber and on the other hand with the air nozzle and the air outlet. 